Optical add-drop multiplexers (OADMs) are important components of optical networks. An OADM typically includes optical switches that selects output ports for wavelength paths to cause certain wavelength paths to pass through the OADM and other wavelength paths to drop from the OADM. As transmission rates in optical networks increase, faster OADMs will become more important. The suitability of an OADM for a transmission mode (such as, for example, circuits, bursts, or packets) often depends on the switching speed of the OADM. Among optical switching technologies available today, electro-optical switch is known to be one of the fastest, possibly attaining the switching speed on the order of several nanoseconds.